


heavy hearts

by Stars_dreaming (orphan_account)



Series: 88 MCU drabbles and oneshots [71]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Avengers, F/M, Family Feels, Gen, Love, Minor Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Minor Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-01-11 02:31:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18420996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Stars_dreaming
Summary: "Y/N!"You turn away from Kitty's bed and step into your own bedroom, where Wanda stands, looking around. She smiles when she catches your eye. "Lunch is ready. Are you coming?""Of course. What are we having?""Tony made spaghetti on the Italian way. He says that nobody can surpass his cooking skills." Chuckling, you make your way to the kitchen.





	heavy hearts

It's the second time in two years that all -  _all_ of them - the Avengers have decided to come together. The Guardians couldn't make it, and neither could Pepper, since she was in Costa Rica for several important meetings with Happy. Loki wasn't present either, even though he had been there the first time - he and the others had reconciled after the truth about his torture and mind control came out in the world - but Thor had left him in charge of leading Asgard while he himself was on earth to celebrate with his friends.

Most of them are already scattered over the Compound - Clint and Harley are at the shooting range while Vision and Wanda are playing some card game with Pietro and Stephen - whose sole companion had also chosen to skip out in favour of protecting the Sanctum Sanctorum in the city. 

Bucky and Sam are playing Mario Kart, with Valkyrie and Thor watching, and Steve and Nat are trying to cook in the kitchen. Sharon decided to help them out after a while, leaving Carol with Tony and Peter, since Rhodey still has to return from DC.

Everyone is disturbed in their hobbies when Friday reports they have an unexpected visitor. 

Nat has already drawn a dagger before any of them can react, but Tony stops her in time. 

"Who is it, Fri?" He asks. Friday gives him a visual on the wall, showing a tall woman standing in the hall with two small kids by her sides. She is holding a small child in her arms and looking around with bright eyes. Tony immediately shoots up from the couch and runs out of the room, presumably to go see their visitor. 

"Who's that?" Carol asks. Nat, who is still standing in the living room, shrugs. "I have no idea, Carol. Tony has a lot of friends that we don't know about."

Carol frowns but leaves it at that and leans into the soft pillow by her side. Peter gives her a bright smile. 

 

* * *

 

 

"Auntie! Auntie, auntie, auntie, aun-" "There you are!" Tony's warm voice breaks the children's mantra. The two troublemakers turn around swiftly, and Tony grins at them, crouching down on the ground to catch them as they run towards him. "Oof!" He says, picking them up in his arms and spinning around. You smile and bounce Catherine in your arms. The small girl makes a happy sound and your hand finds her fluffy hair. 

Tony carefully sets Penelope and Matteo on the ground and makes his way over to you. "It's been such a long time," he says softly, kissing your cheek. Catherine makes a soft sound and his eyes turn to her. She makes grabby hands at him, and you chuckle. "My god," Tony whispers. "Is this-" "She is, but I don't want to talk about it," you interrupt him. "Alright," the genius shrugs and gives you a charming smile. "We can talk about the bad stuff later. Do you wanna meet the team?"

You frown slightly, looking at Catherine, who dramatically drops her head against your shoulder. "Are there a lot of people?"

Tony tilts his head. "No. Not that many, I believe. And if you want them to back off, they will. Believe me."

You smile at him. "Alright. Poppy, Matt, you two have to be on your best behaviour, okay?" "Yes auntie," they say in unison, giving you their angle eyes. You cock an eyebrow but let them grab Tony's hands and you follow him deeper into the Compound. 

 

"So this is the kitchen," Tony says, lifting Penelope up and resting her on his hip. Matteo makes a soft sound, and he grabs your hand. 

The muscled blond by the stove turns around with a grin. He has a pan in his hands and almost hits the lean blonde next to him. She ducks in time and slaps him on the shoulder. "You're lucky I have such good reflexes," she says with a chuckle. There is a redhead perched on the counter, nursing a glass of wine. 

"That's Nat," Tony says, gesturing towards the redhead. She nods at you, and you nod back. 

"I would shake your hand," the blonde says with a smile, "but you've got your hands full, I see." She smiles and crouches down in front of Matteo, who immediately hides behind your leg. "Hi young man," she says softly. "My name is Sharon. Who are you?"

"Matteo," he answers in a small voice. She smiles and extends her hand. "Steve and I are making dinner. Do you want to see what we're making?" After a quick glance at you, he hesitantly takes Sharon's hand and lets her lift him up.

Steve, the muscled blond, grins at you. He carefully sets the pan back on the stove and shakes your hand. "Steve Rogers," he introduces himself. You nod. "Y/N." He smiles and turns back to the stove while Sharon explains to Matteo what they're making. 

Tony puts his hand on your back and guides you into the living room, where two people sit on the couches. The first one you notice is the blonde woman, who has short hair and bright blue eyes filled with life. "I'm Carol Danvers," the woman says. You smile at her. "Y/N."

"I'm Peter!" The boy on the sofa excitedly yells. Catherine whimpers in your arms and you stroke her back. "Hi Peter," you say with a light smile. "I'm Y/N. Poppy, are you going to introduce yourself?" You turn to the girl who is hiding behind Tony's legs, still holding his hand. 

She looks at you with big eyes, and you can't help but laugh as you turn back to Peter. "That's Penelope. The baby girl in my arms is Catherine. There's another kid in the kitchen whose name is Matteo."

Peter nods and crouches down in front of Penelope, who is already coming out of her shell at seeing the lively boy. He grins at her and extends his hand. "I'm Peter Parker," he says, surprisingly a lot calmer than before. "Friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man and Iron Man's student." 

Tony chuckles at that and Catherine moves in your arms. You feel him standing a bit closer behind you and he reaches out for Catherine. "If you want to, you can carry her," you offer as you turn. He grins and happily takes Catherine from you. Now your arms have no purpose, and you tuck your hands in the pockets of your dress. "Come on," he says then. "I want to introduce you to the rest."

 

In another, smaller lounge sit nine others. Two of them are on the biggest couch, eyes fixed on a big screen where Mario Kart is playing. Behind the couch stand a burly blond man, a man with an unruly mop of dark hair and a woman with long dark brown hair and a bottle in her hand that is undoubtedly alcohol. 

A bit further away from them sit a blond man with a redhead tucked into his side, a man with silver-white hair and a man with short brown hair playing some sort of game. 

"Guys!" Tony calls out. "I want you all to meet Y/N. Y/N, these are the others. Those two on the couch are Bucky and Sam. The ones behind them are Thor, Bruce and Valkyrie. The four in the corner are Vision, Wanda, Pietro and Stephen." He points all of them out. They wave at you and you smile back politely. 

 

Outside, there is a large shooting range, where only two people are standing. "Y/N, Clint and Harley. Clint and Harley, this is Y/N."

Clint regards you with curious eyes. "We've never heard of you before," he says with a grin. You try to keep your smile on your face. Tony tsk's. "That's confidential, Katniss," he says. "'m afraid nobody can tell you where I got this wonderful lady from."

He turns to you with a grin and you chuckle. "Yeah, yeah, flattery won't get you anywhere, Tony."

 

He leads you back inside and you stop in front of a large window which provides a view of the backyard and the lake. "It's beautiful out here," you whisper. Tony makes a noise in agreement and Catherine yawns. 

"I'm glad you found a new family, Tony." 

"You will always be a part of it too, you know. The fact that you live on the other side of the world doesn't mean anything."

You turn around to meet his eye. "Maybe. But this is different. These people... you go on missions with them and you get into stupid situations with them and... well..." you wave your hand around, unsure of what to say. "I get it," Tony says. He puts his hand on your shoulder. "It's a different situation."

A beat of silence. 

"Is Rhodey here too?"

Tony's smile is replaced by a shit-eating grin and you immediately regret asking. "My Rhodey-bear promised me he would be here. He's still in DC now, but I guess he'll be here soon enough. You wanna talk to him?"

You throw a quick glance at Catherine before sighing. "I don't know. I'm not... I'm unsure of his reaction..." "He's going to love her. And you chose the name he wanted too. Any second names?"

"Catherine Jamie Antonia." Your fingers curl in Catherine's soft hair and she lifts her head from Tony's shoulder to smile at you. "Not even one year old and already so beautiful," Tony says playfully. You laugh softly. "So it's a tribute to your mother and himself  _and_ me?" "And you."

His smile grows wider. "I can't believe you did that."

You shrug. "You're our best friend. You saved my life, Tony. This is the least you deserve."

"Are you saying you want a statue of me. Cause... I'm down for that." He winks at you and you laugh again. "Wonderful idea. I'd like a small one to put in Catherine's room then." 

"I'll make one for you." Knowing Tony, he probably will. You smile in gratitude. 

"But Rhodey will love her, Y/N. She's his daughter as much as she's yours. And well... the fact that you had to leave before it could become anything... that doesn't mean you can't become that family he's always wanted. He's always loved you and he always will. Man," he sighs, "she looks so much like him."

"She does, doesn't she?"

Tony lifts Catherine in his arms and kisses her nose. She giggles and you smile, looking at them.

"How's he been?"

His face turns to you and his expression turns more serious. "Really bad. I have to say it."

Your shoulders sag and your smile falters. "He was beating himself up for it all the time - having to leave you, I mean. Even though it assured both your safety... he hated it, Y/N."

You hum. "And he could never shut up about you. I had to hear him talk about you one day at three in the morning. Let me tell you, that was  _not_ how I imagined my night going. And it was bad enough that Steve was lying next to me. Rhodey's never let a word slip about you around the Avengers." 

That brings a hesitant smile to your face. "He would do anything for you, Y/N. He even asked me a few times if I could fly him back to you, even though literally nobody knew where you were."

"Yeah, I'm good at that. Disappearing is my forte," you give him a wink. He grins back and lets Catherine closer to let her press her lips to his cheek. 

 

Dinner is a quiet affair. Not everyone is there, and most of the Avengers partake in their own conversations. Sharon seems to be particularly fond of Matteo, while Penelope seems to be taken away by Peter. And even Catherine has picked Tony as her favourite, which leaves you to fend alone.

It's a lot different from your normal life. You'd lived in a mountain cabin in Russia for almost two years now, and you had gotten used to the quiet. 

Not that this is not something you welcomed - however, you must get used to it. The kids seem to have no trouble doing that, but you're older and you have seen a lot more horrors than they have. These guys are superheroes and they know and understand what you have gone through, but how can they ever trust you?

Tony knows of course, that there is more to your visit than you let on. He keeps sneaking glances at you during dinner as you slowly eat what is on your plate. You have never stopped by once - for obvious reasons - and the fact that nobody has let him know earlier that you would be coming, says more than enough about your current situation. 

But he trusts you and he knows that you will come to him as soon as you want to. 

 

* * *

 

 

You meet him outside later. Sharon and Clint are washing the dishes and the others are setting up a movie, but you opted out like Tony had.

There is a glass of wine in your hand, but you haven't drunk a single drop from it. That's what happens when you spend so many years away from civilization - you don't indulge in their pleasures anymore. 

But the glass feels comfortable in your hand - it's easy to break and reminds you of the simplicity of life. 

 

"Figured you'd come out too," Tony says. You nod and sit down next to him. It's not cold outside, but it's not warm either.

"How's Pepper?"

"Hmm. We broke up last year."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he says, turning to you, "it just wasn't meant to be. We loved each other, sure, but there was just too much between us to actually make it work. And of course, add that to the fact that I've had a crush on Captain America since I met him." He chuckles warmly. 

"But Pepper's good. She's moved on too, and we're still incredibly good friends."

You smile. "I'm glad. And happy for you. You deserve all this."

"You do too."

He takes your hand and squeezes it. You let him - let the warmth in your body remind you of simpler times. 

"So," he says then, leaning back, "care to tell me why you're truly here?"

You glance over your shoulder, where Sharon is laughing as she lifts Catherine in the air. 

"I had to. They erm... they came back for me. So I took the children and I left as soon as I could."

Tony falls silent and watches you for a moment. Your hair falls around your face and the light from inside lightens your face just so that the scar on your cheekbone is invisible. You look tired, but the look in your eyes that he still knows so well is gone.

"And you made it out without any injuries?"

"I'm fine. The kids too. I just figured... I thought that this was the best place to come. You're Iron Man, after all." You chuckle and Tony smiles. "I'll protect you, Y/N. You deserve a peaceful life too."

Your smile dissipates. "Sometimes I'm not sure if I do. And... and then I wonder if all those sacrifices were worth it."

Tony's not sure what to say to that, so he simply shifts closer to you and lets you lean into him. 

 

The Avengers watch the two of you from inside. 

"So, anyone know who she is?" Valkyrie asks. There is a chorus of no's. 

"She's close to Tony," Peter say softly, shrugging, "so I guess that means we have to trust her." Steve gives him a blinding smile. "That's right son. Come on, let's leave those two alone and focus on the movie."

 

* * *

 

 

"Morning everyone!" You walk into the kitchen with Tony behind you. He stretches and then moves to give Steve a quick kiss. He looks at you as you help Penelope and Matteo in their chairs by the breakfast bar.

"What do you guys want to eat?"

"Eggs!" Penelope yells. "Auntie, can I have cranberries?" Matteo asks softly. You stroke his head and give him a sweet smile. "Sure, you can love. Tony, do you have cranberries?"

"You have to feed those kids more," Steve remarks. "They're skinny." 

"That's what happens when you don't have enough food," you quip. Tony snorts. "Yeah Y/N, we got cranberries. What do you want to eat?" "An apple is fine. The kids will have to eat first."

"You do know that we have enough food here to feed an army, right? You will not believe how much Steve and Bucky consume on a normal day." Tony sighs dramatically and you laugh as you carefully put Catherine down in Penelope's lap. "Hold your niece, okay?" You tell her, and she nods with a determined look on her face. 

Steve is still staring at you with a look of horror on his face. Tony pushes him aside. "Out, out, out!" He yells, waving with his hands. Steve recovers and gives the small Italian a smile before moving out of the way. 

 

"Here you go." Steve puts down a bowl with scrambled eggs in front of Penelope and a plate with fruit in front of Matteo. You take Catherine out of Penelope's lap and gratefully take the mashed bananas from Tony. 

"Alright baby girl," you whisper. "I've got some bananas for you. You like bananas, right?" She nods with a smile. 

 

"You're such a good girl," you whisper as you kiss her forehead. She swallows the last bite. "I luh you," she prattles. "Awhh," Sharon coos as she steps into the kitchen. You give her a small smile. "Mommy loves you too, very, very much, Kitty," you whisper. She laughs and grabs your blouse with two hands. 

"Luh you, luh you, luh you," she chants. You laugh and let her wriggle around in your lap while holding her, so she won't fall. 

Tony regards you with a wistful expression. He gives you a glass of water and you lean in to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for taking care of us," you whisper in his ear. He grins at you. "Come on," he says. "You're family, Y/N. This is what family does for each other."

 

"I want to watch cartoons with Clint and Bucky," Penelope later states. You quirk an eyebrow at her. "Really?" She nods. 

"Let us watch cartoons with your girl, Y/N!" Clint calls out from the living room. You chuckle. "Alright then. Go watch cartoons with Clint and Bucky."

Penelope immediately runs off to the living room. Matteo follows her just as fast. 

"They grow up fast," someone sighs behind you. You turn around to meet a kind face that you know is Wanda's. With a smile, you nod. "A little too fast, if you ask me," Sam joins in, leaning against the counter with an apple in his hand. "How old are they?"

"Poppy is the oldest. She's almost eight now. Matt follows close behind her with six, and Kitty is the youngest, at almost two years old."

"They're sweet," Wanda says softly. You grimace. "Matt and Poppy are anything but sweet. They love to play pranks on people. They might seem like angels, but once they get comfortable..."

Sam laughs. "We do that a lot here too. Everybody plays pranks on each other. Except on Tony or Nat. Nat is absolutely terrifying and Tony could throw us out."

"Awhh, thanks," Natasha says, slipping past them and taking Sam's apple. 

"And that's the only reason nobody plays pranks on Tony?"

"Well, it's also because Steve is always there to protect him and the guy  _can_ be a bit intimidating," Sam adds with a toothy grin. You laugh at that. "I can believe that."

"Are you up to do something with us today?" Wanda asks a little hesitant. You give her a reassuring smile. "Anything would be fine. What do you want to do?"

 

* * *

 

 

"You're good."

You smirk. "Tony told us so already," Sam adds, gritting his teeth. He did? You're not sure when Tony found the time to tell his friends that about you, but you're not going to question that. 

"Tony can exaggerate a bit sometimes," you say. "Well," Wanda heaves. "He did not exaggerate about this. Jeez, Y/N, you're good."

 

"So is this something you guys do every holiday?" You say as Sam drinks from his bottle of water. Wanda smiles. "Not a lot. But I need to train on my hand-to-hand combat and Tony told us you are pretty good."

You smile. "Well, I train too sometimes. Don't want to get rusty. This was fun."

"Yeah, for you it was," Wanda says, and you burst out laughing. 

 

Being in the Compound makes you feel a lot lighter than before. It's only been one day and yet they already feel like they're your friends too. And watching them interact with each other makes you happy too. They're truly a tight-knit family, and you're happy that Tony found this. He deserves so much happiness and love, and because Pepper and Rhodey aren't always there and you aren't either, he needs others too. 

The Avengers kind and amazing people. They're incredibly comfortable with each other, and the most important thing of all is that they respect each other. 

You like the sudden change from your usual life, but you know you can't keep living here forever, with three kids. You don't want to live on Tony's good favours forever. 

 

* * *

 

 

"Yeah sweetheart, mommy is just going to put you in your pyjamas," you coo as you slowly slip Catherine into her pyjamas. She squirms under your hands but doesn't move that much. She's a quiet child, but you're sure that once she grows older, she'll turn out just like Poppy and Matt. Not that that's not okay - on the contrary, you enjoy their antics a lot. 

They make you feel very normal, as if you're just a normal single mom with a normal life and no crazy superpowers or crazy people chasing you. 

 

"Y/N!" 

You turn away from Kitty's bed and step into your own bedroom, where Wanda stands, looking around. She smiles when she catches your eye. "Lunch is ready. Are you coming?"

"Of course. What are we having?"

"Tony made spaghetti on the Italian way. He says that nobody can surpass his cooking skills." Chuckling, you make your way to the kitchen. 

 

"Oh," you moan as you take a bite. "I almost forgot how good you can cook, Tony, my god."

"Tony has a lot of talents," Steve says, and Tony hides his blush by turning his face away. You smile at the couple and continue to dig in. 

You did almost forget his cooking talent. Maybe... You look over at him. He sends you a smile. Maybe you could ask him if you can stay here. Or near the Compound. Maybe... - no. No, Y/N, you tell yourself. This is a onetime experience. 

 

Your heart aches a bit when Sharon bounces Matteo on her legs. He giggles happily as Poppy rolls with Peter over the carpet, wrestling. 

"You okay?" Comes a voice close to you. You look up to Tony, who smiles at you. He looks a little worried. You nod. "You know," he says as he slides on the couch next to you, "you're more than welcome to stay longer if you'd like. The kids... they would like it." 

"They would, wouldn't they? But- Tony, I can't live here. This is a facility built for the Avengers."

"Yeah, and it has plenty of room for you."

"And what if you get attacked? What if the Compound gets attacked and you guys aren't there? I have kids, Tony, I have a family I need to take care of."

"We'll take care of them together, then." He takes your hand, but you pull it back and quickly get up. "I... I can't, Tony."

 

* * *

 

 

"Tony and you seem close," Natasha's voice sounds behind you. You keep looking at the lake in front of you as she slides on the bench. 

"I don't think I've ever seen him this happy. Sure, Steve makes him smile and all, and ever since we've been acting more as a family, he laughs more, but..." she pauses. "He's different now that you're here. Your children bring out something in him. I believe- we all do, that you and Tony have got quite some history. And you don't need to share it with us if you don't want to, but I do need you to know that he'd do anything for you. 

"And if you stay here, we'll all be happy to help. You can be family too."

You look at her for a moment. 

Then you lift your hand and concentrate. Natasha watches as a blue ball of glowing energy forms on your palm. 

You let your hand fall, and the ball disappears. "I was in the army," you say softly. "That's how I met Rhodey. And then Tony and Pepper. When Tony went to Afghanistan, I went with him. I got lost in the dessert and I got hit by something. Since then I've had these powers. And ever since, there are people hunting me. For my powers, maybe, or to kill me, I don't know. But... I can't stay here and bring those people to you."

Natasha smiles. "We're the Avengers. We can handle that."

You stay silent. 

"You could even become one of us. Use your powers for good."

It stays silent between the two of you until she gets up and touches your shoulder. "We'd all like it a lot if you stayed with us, Y/N."

You open your mouth to say something, but roaring engines above you cut you off. 

 

The Quinjet lands on the platform slowly as you and Natasha make your way over. 

A few others step out of the Compound too, and you spot Tony running over the paved road towards the platform. He catches up with you in time and grabs your hand. The excited look on his face is unmissable.

Your heart jumps, and you get warm all over your body.

 

The Quinjet opens and out walk three figures. The first is a lean woman, and a man with dark hair skips out behind her. And then... 

Rhodey steps out. 

You stop in your tracks and try to remember how you have to breathe. He looks older, which makes a lot of sense since you haven't seen him in two years. He's wearing a grin on his face as Tony jumps into his arms.

And then he turns and his eyes land on you. 

You give him a wave. He immediately puts Tony down and starts running. With a laugh, he picks you up from the ground and wraps his warm arms around you. You laugh too, through the tears, and kiss him passionately. He smiles in the kiss and sets you down again. He pulls you close to him and you wrap your arms around his neck, tugging him even closer. 

"Okay, okay, we get it, you two are in love," Tony says, but there's no heat in his voice. When you look at him, he's smiling. 

You look at Rhodey again, and notice he's wiping away a tear. "Oh baby," you laugh. "Are you crying?"

"I haven't seen you in two years," he whispers. You nod. "Yeah. You haven't. But I'm here now and we're going to celebrate Christmas together."

As if on cue, a snowflake falls on your nose. You laugh and tilt your head up to the sky, spreading your arms. The others begin laughing too as you spin around. Rhodey catches you before you fall, and he kisses you again. "I missed you," he whispers against your lips. You smile. "Me too."

 

* * *

 

 

"Her name is Catherine Jamie Antonia," you tell him as he lifts Catherine out of her bed. She laughs and grabs his shirt tight. 

"That's your daddy," you coo. "Mommy and daddy love you a lot, Kitty."

Rhodey looks at you and there are tears in his eyes again. "I..." he clears his throat. "She's beautiful. You're beautiful- god, I love you so much."

You chuckle. "I love you too. Now come on, I bet Poppy and Matt are super excited to see you again."

 

Much later, after dinner, the two of you are on the couch. Kitty is asleep in your arms and you're lying in Rhodey's arms, head on his chest. His eyes are closed, and you smile as you look at Tony, who's curled up against Steve. He throws you a thumbs-up and you wink at him. 

 _Click!_ You look up, right into the camera Clint is holding. He grins at you. "Captured the moment forever. I'm going to frame it. How about the title Domestic Avengers?"

 

* * *

 

 

When you unpack the gifts underneath the tree, your eyes flick to the photograph Clint has indeed framed and hung on the wall. There's more next to it - a few of yourself and the Avengers, one of you and the kids, a few of the Avengers and the kids and some of you and Tony. 

You shoot Clint a smile. 

Truly domestic Avengers.


End file.
